Vertical sheet metal decoiling system

ABSTRACT

A device for decoiling a coil of sheet material includes a support frame, a rotatable spindle supported by the support frame, and multiple conical support rollers supported by the support frame. The rotatable spindle has an axis of rotation directed in a vertical direction and is configured to be positioned in a hollow core of a coil of sheet material. The multiple conical support rollers are configured to support a base of the coil of sheet material, each conical support roller having a conical shape with a wide end and narrow end. Each conical support roller has an axis of rotation and is arranged such that its respective axis of rotation is directed toward the axis of rotation of the rotatable spindle. Each conical support roller is arranged such that a narrow end of the conical support roller is positioned toward the rotatable spindle.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present disclosure relates to equipment for constructing metalbuildings at job sites and, more particularly, to decoiling system forfeeding coiled sheet metal to devices for fabricating metal buildingpanels.

2. Background Information

In the metal building construction process, sheet metal may beroll-formed and curved into metal building panels, and the buildingpanels can then be fastened together to make metal buildings. Typicallythe sheet metal, which can be of various different gauges (thicknesses),is manufactured, shipped, and stored in large diameter coils. The coiledsheet metal must be decoiled so that it can be fed into apparatuses thatperform various roll-forming operations.

Various devices for decoiling coiled sheet material are known in therelated art, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,160,531, 2,020,889,2,762,418, 6,691,544, RE20,000, 2,757,880, 2,899,145, 2,653,643, and4,094,473 and US Patent Application Publication No. 20070170301. Atypical feature of conventional devices is that they configured tosupport a coil of sheet material horizontally, i.e., such that therotational axis of the coil of sheet material (i.e., the cylindricalaxis of the coil) is oriented horizontally relative to a verticaldirection (the vertical direction being approximately oriented along adirection of gravitational force). Conventional devices may include ahorizontal mandrel or shaft to support the coil from inside a hollowcylindrical core of the coil. Conventional devices may also includehorizontal support rollers whose lengths span the width of the coil andwhose rotational axes are oriented horizontally, to support the coilfrom underneath at an outer-most surface of the coil.

The present inventors have observed a need for a decoiling device thatcan support and decoil a coil of sheet material where the rotationalaxis (cylindrical axis) of the coil is oriented substantiallyvertically.

SUMMARY

According to an exemplary embodiment, a device for decoiling a coil ofsheet material comprises a support frame, a rotatable spindle supportedby the support frame, the rotatable spindle configured to be positionedin a hollow core of a coil of sheet material, the rotatable spindlehaving an axis of rotation directed in a substantially verticaldirection, and multiple conical support rollers supported by the supportframe. The multiple conical support rollers are configured to support abase of the coil of sheet material, each conical support roller having aconical shape with a wide end and narrow end, each conical supportroller having an axis of rotation, each conical support roller beingarranged such that its respective axis of rotation is directed towardthe axis of rotation of the rotatable spindle, each conical supportroller being arranged such that its narrow end is positioned toward therotatable spindle.

According to another exemplary embodiment, the device may comprise anadjustable frame assembly supporting the support frame, wherein theadjustable frame assembly is configured to controllably change anorientation of the support frame.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary decoiling systemaccording to the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of the decoiling system shown inFIG. 1 with a coil of sheet material positioned thereon.

FIG. 3 illustrates a side view of an exemplary roller assembly having aconical support roller for exemplary decoiling systems according to thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary expandablerotating mandrel with a tensioning mechanism for exemplary decoilingsystems according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of another exemplary decoilingsystem according having an adjustable mechanism for changing anorientation of the decoiling system according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective view of the exemplary decoiling systemshown in FIG. 5 with the orientation changed for transporting.

FIG. 7 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of a portion of thedecoiling system of FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary drive mechanism for driving conicalsupport rollers for decoiling systems according to the presentdisclosure

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary decoiling device 100 (also referred toherein as a decoiler) in accordance with exemplary embodiments. As shownin FIG. 1, the decoiler 100 comprises a frame 102 (e.g., a horizontalmetal platform) and multiple support roller assemblies 104 supported bythe frame 102, each support roller assembly 104 comprising a conicalsupport roller 106, an outer support member 108, and an inner supportmember 110. The inner and outer support members 110 and 108 support eachof the support rollers 106 via suitable bearings. In the example of FIG.1, there are four support roller assemblies 104, one of which is hiddenfrom view. The decoiler 100 also includes a central rotatable spindle109, which serves to maintain a coil of sheet material centered on thedecoiler 100. FIG. 2 illustrates the decoiler 100 with a coil of sheetmaterial 150 positioned thereon, wherein it is seen that the coil ofsheet material 150 has an outer surface 152, a hollow core 154, and aninner surface 156 within the hollow core 154.

As shown by comparing FIGS. 1 and 2, the rotatable spindle 109 ispositioned to coincide with the bottom opening of a hollow core 154 ofthe coil 150 of sheet material. Also shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the dottedline “B” designates the rotation axis of the rotatable spindle 109,which coincides with the cylindrical axis of the coil 150. The rotationaxis “B” of the spindle 109 is oriented perpendicularly to a horizontalplane associated with the frame 102 (e.g., a plane of a supportingplatform such as shown in the example of FIGS. 1 and 2). The rotationaxis B is oriented substantially vertically along the Z direction whenthe decoiler is in use. As referred to herein “substantially vertical”means that the rotation axis B of the decoiler is within a few degrees(e.g., 1-2 degrees or less) of a gravitational force direction. In otherwords, when the support frame 102 is horizontally oriented to within afew degrees of “level” (e.g., 1-2 degrees or less), the rotation axis Bwill be oriented substantially vertically.

Referring again to the example of FIG. 1, the rotatable spindle 109 maycomprise a rotating platform 114 (e.g., a disk of metal plate), a set ofradial members 112 a and 112 b supported by the rotating platform 114, avertical shaft 116 (and associated housing and bearings), and a cap 118that secures and/or guides the radial members 112 a, 112 b. Therotatable spindle 109 may comprise an adjustable mechanism wherein someradial members 112 b are movable inward and outward in radial directionsperpendicular to the rotation axis B via scissors mechanisms, whileother radial members 112 a have fixed positions. A suitable scissorsmechanism can be provided, for example, by connecting a lower linkage ofthe scissors mechanism to a vertical sleeve that slides up and down anouter surface of the central rotating shaft of the spindle 109 such thatwhen the sleeve is pushed upward (e.g., via hydraulics), the upper andlower scissors linkages are brought closer together, thereby moving theradial members 112 b radially outward, and vice versa. A control switch170 can control the hydraulics (described further below) to expand orretract the radial members 112 b. Of course, the positions of the radialmembers 112 b could also be controlled via a wedge mechanism instead ofa scissors mechanism and be driven by a hand-crank instead of hydraulicsas will be appreciated by those skilled in the art.

The radial members 112 a, 112 b preferably are shaped to have slopedupper edges as shown in FIG. 1 such that when a coil of sheet material150 is positioned onto the decoiler (e.g., lowered onto the decoiler 100via straps held from a hoist or forklift) the sloped edges of the radialmembers 112 a, 112 b serve to guide the coil 150 to an approximatelycentered position. Then, radial members 112 b (whose positions areadjustable) may be moved outward in a cooperative manner so as tocontact the inner surface 156 of the coil 150 to push the coil 150 intoa centered position such that the cylindrical axis of the coil coincideswith the rotation axis B of the rotatable spindle 109. When a coil ofsheet material 150 has been consumed, the radial members 112 b can beretracted radially inward.

FIG. 3 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of a support rollerassembly 104 comprising an inner support member 110 and an outer supportmember 108 that support the support rollers 106 via suitable bearings.As illustrated in. FIG. 3, the conical support rollers 106 each have aconical shape with a wide end and a narrow end, wherein each of theconical support rollers 106 has a respective axis of rotation C. Theconical support rollers 106 are oriented such that their respectiverotational axes C are directed radially toward the rotation axis B ofthe rotatable spindle, i.e., toward, a center of the coil 150, andoriented at an angle θ upward relative to a horizontal direction that isperpendicular to the axis of rotation B of the rotatable spindle, sothat the portions of the conical support rollers 106 that contact thebottom of the coil 150 are arranged substantially horizontally. Thisorientation of the conical support rollers 106 permits the flat bottomof the coil 150 to supported along the length of each support rollers106. Each support roller assembly 104 may also include a side roller 111whose axis of rotation is oriented parallel to axis of rotation Bsupported by outer support member 108, wherein the side roller 111 canprovide lateral support to prevent the coil of sheet material 150 fromshifting radially outward past an outer edge of the support roller 106.

The dimensions of the conical support members 106 can be selected basedupon the expected sizes of coils of sheet material anticipated. Atypical coil 150 may have, for example, an inner diameter of about 24inches, an outer diameter of about 40 inches, and a height of about 36inches. Generally, the length of each conical support roller 106 shouldbe at least as large as the difference between the inner and outer radiiof the coil 150, i.e., the length of each conical support roller 106should be at least as large as the radial width of the sheet materialcoiled on the coil 150. To accommodate typical sized coils of sheetmaterial, the conical support rollers 106 can be about 12.3 inches longwith a narrow-end diameter of about 2.25 inches and a wide-end diameterof about 5.3 inches. The narrow end of the support roller 106 can bepositioned at a distance of about 9 inches from the rotation axis B ofthe rotatable spindle 109 (i.e., from the cylindrical axis of the coil150), and the wide end of the support roller 106 can be positioned at adistance of about 12.3 inches from the rotation axis B. The wide-end andnarrow-end diameters of the conical support rollers 106 should be chosenaccording to the relationship R1/R2=A1/A2, where A1 is a diameter of theroller 106 near its narrow end, A2 is a diameter of the roller 106 nearits wide end, R1 is a distance from the rotation axis B to a contactpoint on the roller 106 at diameter A1, and R2 is a distance from therotation axis B to a contact point on the roller 106 at diameter A2,such as shown in FIG. 3. Choosing the support roller dimensionsaccording to satisfy this relationship ensures that at any givendistance from the rotation axis B, the linear speed of the sheetmaterial riding on the support roller 106 matches the linear speed ofthe surface of the support roller 106 at that point. Thus, R1 and R2 canbe chosen to accommodate the expected sizes of coils, A1 can be selectedto a desired value (e.g., large enough for desired structural strengthsuch as, e.g., 2.25 inches, 2.5 inches, 3 inches, etc.), and A2 can thenbe calculated based on R1, R2 and A1. As seen from FIG. 3, the angle θcan be given by sin θ=A1/(2·R1)=A2/(2·R2). Suitable dimensions forsupport rollers to accommodate other coil sizes can be selected by thoseskilled in the art in light of the explanation above.

Choices for the materials used in fabricating various components of thedecoiler 100 and other decoiling devices described herein can be madebased upon the expected size and weight of coils to be accommodated. Thecoil 150 of sheet material can be, for example, galvanized steel sheetmetal, other type of steel, galvalume, zincalume, aluminum, or othersheet material. The thickness of the sheet material may range from about0.035 inches to about 0.080 inches in thickness. As noted above, atypical coil for use in metal building fabrication may have, forexample, an inner diameter of about 20 inches (i.e., the diameter of thehollow core 124 is about 20 inches), an outer diameter of about 40inches, and a height of about 36 inches. The weight of such coils mayrange from about 4000 to 9000 pounds typically, for example. Thematerials used for fabricating various components of decoilers accordingto the present disclosure should be chosen to accommodate the weight ofthe coils being used. For example, frame pieces may be made fromstainless steel or aluminum-alloy plates, e.g., 0.5-0.75 inches inthickness, support rollers made be made from stainless steel, connectingrods and shafts may be made from stainless steel or hardened steel,bearings and gears may be made from hardened steel, etc.

FIG. 4 shows additional detail regarding the rotatable spindle 109 andassociated components. As shown in FIG. 4, the radial positions ofadjustable radial members 112 b may be controlled via scissorsmechanisms. In the example of FIG. 4, a first scissor arm 126 isrotatably attached at an upper end to an inner support member 122 via afastener 130 (e.g., pin, bolt, etc.) wherein the inner support member122 has a vertical slot therein. An opposing end of the first scissorarm 126 is free to move up and down in a vertical slot of radial member112 b while being guided by a fastener 130 passing through the scissorarm that rides in the vertical slot of support member 122 b. A secondscissor arm 128 is rotatably attached at its upper end to an upperportion of radial member 112 b via a fastener 130, and a lower end ofthe second scissor arm 128 is rotatably attached to a sleeve 124 thatcan move up and down, e.g., under the control of a hydraulic mechanism.

As further shown in FIG. 4, the rotatable spindle 109 is supported bybearing housing 138 and shaft 140 that include bearing housings andassociated bearings wherein the bottom flange 139 of bearing housing 138can be mounted on a horizontal plate member of frame 102 shown inFIG. 1. Below bearing housing 138 is a hydraulic cylinder 136 having anassociated vertical hydraulic shaft that that can move up and down undercontrol of a hydraulic control mechanism to drive the shaft 116 up anddown. The upper end of the shaft 116, driven by the hydraulic cylinder136, drives the bottom portion of sleeve 124 upward via a bearing suchthat the entire rotatable spindle 109 can rotate about the shaft 116such that the shaft 116 itself does not need to rotate. By moving theshaft 116 upward using the hydraulic cylinder 136, the radial members112 b can be moved outward in a radial direction to center and hold thecoil 150 in place. By reversing the pressure in the hydraulic cylinderor by actuating the shaft 116 downward, the radial members 112 b can bemoved inward in the radial direction to release and/or reposition theradial members 112 b to accept a new coil 150.

The decoiler 100 may also include a tensioning mechanism for opposing arotation of the rotatable spindle 109 so as to permit tensioning of thesheet material as it is fed from the coil 150. As shown in FIG. 4, forexample, the tensioning mechanism may be provided by a disk member 144attached to rotating disk 114 which rotates with the rotatable spindle109, against which a brake shoe 144 or other device may be pressed via ahydraulic cylinder 142 so as to provide a controllable frictional forceagainst the disk 144 to thereby oppose a rotation of the rotatablespindle 109. The various hydraulic cylinders 136 and 142 can be actuatedunder control of a control panel (not shown) having valves forcontrolling the pumping of hydraulic fluid from a hydraulic pump to thevarious hydraulic cylinders 136 and 142. The control panel and hydraulicpump can be provided on a support structure (e.g., a mobile trailer thatcan be towed behind a truck) that also supports the decoiler 100.

FIG. 5 illustrates another exemplary decoiler 200 having an adjustableframe structure that permits adjusting an orientation of the decoiler200, e.g., for rotating the support frame 202 of the decoiler 200 bynearly 90 degrees so as to position the decoiler 200 in a non-useposition for transport to and from a job site. The decoiler 200 is likedecoiler 100 described above in many respects and includes a rotatablespindle 109 with expandable radial members 112 b, multiple supportroller assemblies 104 with conical support rollers 106, a control switch170 to control hydraulics for the adjustable aspect of the rotatablespindle 109, etc., such as described above for decoiler 100. Inaddition, as shown by comparing FIGS. 5 and 6, the decoiler 200 alsocomprises a frame assembly that permits rotating the support frame 202by nearly 90 degrees. This aspect will now be further described.

In particular, referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the support frame 202 ofdecoiler 200 is further supported by a frame assembly comprising a firstframe member 250, a first hinged frame arm 252, a second frame member254 and a second hinged frame arm 256. The first frame member 250 andsecond frame member 254 can be attached (e.g., welded or otherwisefastened) to a support structure 290 (e.g., a steel frame member of awheeled trailer). The frame assembly also includes first and secondhydraulic cylinders 258 and 260, each comprising a vertical shaft thatis rotatably connected to support frame 202 via suitable hingemechanisms. By actuating the hydraulic cylinders 258 and 260 shown inFIG. 5 with a control switch (not shown), the associated vertical shaftsof hydraulic cylinders 258 and 260 can be translated upward, and a rearside of the support frame 202 is also translated upward via the upwardmotion of the shafts of the hydraulic cylinders 258 and 260, so as toposition the decoiler 200 in the orientation shown in FIG. 6.

As shown in FIG. 5, the decoiler 200 may also include a set of guiderollers 272, 274, 276 supported by the frame (e.g., frame member 256 inthis example) to guide a portion of the sheet material as it is unwoundfrom the coil, wherein the guide rollers 272, 274, 276 have axes ofrotation oriented parallel to the axis of rotation B of the rotatablespindle 109. Of course the guide rollers 272, 274, 276 could bepositioned elsewhere on the decoiler 200 and support by other frameportions.

Referring again to FIG. 5, the decoiler 200 may also include a radiallyadjustable retaining mechanism 280 that may include a verticallyoriented retaining roller 282 that can be moved radially inward andoutward and positioned against the outermost sheet of the coil 150 toprevent the coil from unwinding when its holding strap is released. Inthe example of FIG. 5, the position of the retaining roller 282 of theadjustable clamping mechanism 180 can be controlled via a hand-crankmechanism having a socket as shown in FIG. 5 that can accept ahand-crank, such that turning the hand-crank turns a screw hidden fromview so as to translate the vertical retaining roller 282 radiallyinward and outward depending upon which direction the hand-crank isturned.

The decoiler 200 may also include a drive mechanism to drive at leastone of the conical support rollers 106 to rotate the coil, e.g., tofacilitate feeding sheet material from the coil 150 into an adjacentmetal forming apparatus. FIG. 7 shows a cross sectional view of thedecoiler 200, and in particular shows a drive mechanism 300 for drivinga pair of conical support rollers 106 that will be further describedwith reference to FIG. 8. As shown in FIG. 8, the drive mechanism 300includes a socket assembly 302 that can accept a hand-crank, a shaft 306that can be driven by the hand-crank, and various other sprockets,shafts and gears to turn a pair of conical support rollers 106. Inparticular, rotational motion of shaft 306 is transferred to sprocket308 which drives a rotation of two sprockets 310 via a chain 312. Eachsprocket 310 is connected to and drives a shaft 314, which drives abevel gear 316. Each bevel gear 316 in turn drives another bevel gear318 connected to a shaft 320 (the shaft 320 is hidden from view for theleft hand support roller 106). A bevel gear 322 connected to shaft 320then drives another bevel gear 324 connected to roller 106. Thus, inthis example, the decoiler 200 includes a drive mechanism 300 capable ofturning a pair of opposing conical support rollers to assist withrotating a coil of sheet materials 150 about the rotation axis B of therotatable spindle 109.

It will be appreciated that the various features of the decoiler 200illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6 can also be used in connection with thedecoiler 100 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, such as the tensioning mechanismfor opposing a rotation of the rotatable spindle 109, the drive systemfor driving one or more conical support rollers 106, a set of guiderollers to guide sheet material as it is removed from the coil of sheetmaterial, and a radially adjustable retaining mechanism includingvertically oriented retaining roller.

The decoilers 100 and 200 can be operated in a straightforward manner.First, a coil of sheet material 150 can be lowered onto the decoiler100, 200 by looping three or four straps around the sheet material withthe coil positioned with its cylindrical axis oriented vertically (oneend of a given strap threaded through the hollow core 156 of the coil150 and the other end of that same strap directed upward along the outersurface of the coil 150), lifting the coil 150 from above via the strapsusing a hoist or forklift, and then lowering the coil 150 onto thedecoiler 150. If the decoiler possesses four support rollers 106, use offour straps can be advantageous since the straps can be positionedbetween the support rollers. Similarly, if the decoiler possess threesupport rollers 106, use of three straps can be advantageous. Such acoil will still have a metal retaining strap wrapped around it toprevent the sheet material from unraveling (coils are shipped with suchretaining straps to prevent unraveling). If the decoiler is equippedwith a retaining mechanism such as retaining mechanism 280, theretaining mechanism can be positioned such that the vertical retainingroller 282 is pushed against the outer sheet of the coil (see, e.g.,FIG. 5.) With the retaining roller 282 in place, the metal retainingstrap present on the coil can be removed. If the decoiler is notequipped with a retaining mechanism, a large C-clamp can be suitablypositioned and clamped to the inner and outer surfaces of the coil 150so as to free some length of sheet material so that it can be fed intoan adjacent machine and effectively held to prevent unraveling. If thedecoiler includes a drive mechanism for driving one or more of thesupport rollers 106, that drive mechanism can be operated to facilitateinitially feeding sheet material from the coil into an adjacent machine.

Decoilers according to the present disclosure may have variousadvantages compared to conventional decoiling systems, which areconfigured such that the cylindrical axis of the coil is oriented in ahorizontal direction during use. For example, by orienting decoilersvertically as taught herein, a substantial degree of overall compactnesscan be provided when considering that other equipment for metal formingwill be positioned in proximity to the decoiler 100, 200. By providing avertically oriented decoiler, other metal forming apparatuses can alsobe oriented vertically, in contrast to the traditional horizontalorientations, so that more equipment can be efficiently placed on theplatform of a wheeled trailer. This is a significant advantage formobile applications where the building construction equipment must betransported to a job site.

In addition, vertical decoilers according to the present disclosure maynaturally avoid “telescoping,” which is an undesirable shift of somelayers of the coiled material axially such that one end of a layer orlayers extends beyond an end of the coil. Telescoping in conventionaldecoilers can cause alignment problems and in severe instances canrender a coil unusable, such that an operator then must manuallystraighten out the coil before the coil can be further used. Verticaldecoilers according to the present invention naturally avoid telescopingbecause the gravitational force keeps the bottom edges of all layers ofthe coil of sheet materials desirably against the support rollers, whichsupport the weight of the coil.

While this invention has been particularly described and illustratedwith reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understoodby those skilled in the art that changes in the above description orillustrations may be made with respect to form or detail withoutdeparting from the spirit or scope of the invention.

1. A device for decoiling a coil of sheet material, comprising: asupport frame; a rotatable spindle supported by the support frame, therotatable spindle configured to be positioned in a hollow core of a coilof sheet material, the rotatable spindle having an axis of rotationdirected in a substantially vertical direction; and multiple conicalsupport rollers supported by the support frame, the multiple conicalsupport rollers configured to support a base of the coil of sheetmaterial, each conical support roller having a conical shape with a wideend and narrow end, each conical support roller having an axis ofrotation, each conical support roller being arranged such that itsrespective axis of rotation is directed toward the axis of rotation ofthe rotatable spindle, each conical support roller being arranged suchthat its narrow end is positioned toward the rotatable spindle.
 2. Thedevice of claim 1, wherein the axes of rotation of the conical supportrollers are oriented at an angle θ relative to a horizontal directionthat is perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the rotatable spindle.3. The device of claim 1, wherein the rotatable spindle comprises anadjustable mechanism comprising plural members for contacting an innersurface of the hollow core of the coil of sheet material, the rotatablespindle configured such that positions of the plural members can bemoved radially relative to the axis of rotation of the rotatablespindle.
 4. The device of claim 1, comprising a set of guide rollerssupported by the support frame to guide a portion of the sheet materialas it is unwound from the coil, the guide rollers having axes ofrotation oriented along the axis of rotation of the rotatable spindle.5. The device of claim 1, comprising a drive mechanism for driving arotation of at least one of the multiple support rollers.
 6. The deviceof claim 1, comprising an adjustable frame assembly supporting saidsupport frame, the adjustable frame assembly configured to controllablychange an orientation of said support frame.
 7. The device of claim 1,comprising a retaining roller supported by the support frame, a positionof the retaining roller being adjustable in a radial direction, theretaining roller having an axis of rotation oriented along the verticaldirection and being configured to be pressed against an outer surface ofthe coil of sheet material.
 8. The device of claim 1, comprising atension mechanism for opposing a rotation of the rotatable spindle so asto permit tensioning of the sheet materials as it is fed from the coil.9. The device of claim 8, wherein the tension mechanism comprises arotating disk that rotates with the rotatable spindle and a shoeconfigured to be pressed against the disk to provide a frictional force.